Jacket Housing of exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle

Abstract

Jacket housing of an exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle, particularly an exhaust muffler or an exhaust gas catalyst of an automobile, with a jacket manufactured from a sheet blank. At least the longitudinal connection of the jacket manufactured from the sheet blank includes a laser weld seam.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] Not applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

[0002] Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] The invention relates to a jacket housing of an exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle, particularly an exhaust muffler or an exhaust gas catalyst of an automobile in wrapped construction, with a jacket manufactured from a sheet blank.

[0004] Technical Field

[0005] Housings of exhaust mufflers or exhaust gas catalysts of wrapped or jacket construction for motor vehicles, and also exhaust gas housing parts such as connecting pipes, pipe unions, or connecting funnels, with elevated requirements for strength, shape stability and quality, are constituted according to the state of the art from sheet blanks, either single-walled with large wall thickness, or double-walled from two sheet blanks, and are connected along the connecting places by folding. Additional stiffening ribs or creases in the housing part provide for additional stability, if necessary. The production of both double-walled housing parts and also single-walled housing parts with comparatively large wall thickness of a sheet blank, and also the production of the fold connections, is expensive in time and cost. Fold connections do not seal effectively in all cases of operation, and require constructional space and material. Altogether, much material is necessary for a sufficiently stable construction of a well sealed exhaust gas housing. The disadvantages are high material costs, increased weight of the exhaust gas device, and also high gasoline consumption of the motor vehicle.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The invention has as its object to provide a jacket housing of an exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle, of the kind stated at the beginning, which is distinguished by a simple, well sealed, and light construction and likewise has a good visual appearance.

[0007] This object is attained by a jacket housing of an exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle, particularly an exhaust muffler or an exhaust gas catalyst of an automobile, with a jacket manufactured from a sheet blank, wherein at least the longitudinal connection of the jacket manufactured from the sheet blank includes a laser weld seam.

[0008] A fundamental aspect of the invention is the laser welding of a jacket housing, particularly of an exhaust muffler or exhaust gas catalyst of a motor vehicle, in wrapped construction.

[0009] In particular, the present invention provides at least the longitudinal connection of the jacket manufactured from the sheet blank with a laser weld seam.

[0010] The jacket is preferably constituted from at least two blanks, which are assembled in abutment, double-walled or multiple-walled, and/or overlapping, and are laser welded at the connecting edges.

[0011] If the jacket housing has pipe unions or connecting funnels, end bottoms and/or inner intermediate bottoms, preferably also these components of the jacket housing, with the jacket, are connected together by laser weld seams.

[0012] Preferably all the connecting places of the jacket housing are laser welded.

[0013] A jacket housing can advantageously designed by means of the invention, particularly a jacket housing of an exhaust muffler or an exhaust gas catalyst, to be light, quick, well sealed, visually flawless, and in particular variably and in a light construction, without having to accept losses of constructional space due to fold connections and mounting disadvantages which are present with known jacket housings. The exhaust gas housing parts are preferably partially reinforced in wall thickness, only at those places at which special requirements for strength are set, by means of double arrangement of individual metal sheets or by overlapping of single sheets, or by the arrangement of an individual metal sheet which is thicker there, and are rapidly and securely connected by laser welding without great cost. At all other places, the wall thickness of the sheet blanks or of the individual metal sheets is small, so that, with the wall reduction there, in all a weight reduction and a saving of material result. According to the prior art, with a single-walled construction of an exhaust gas housing part, a greater thickness of an individual metal sheet or of a sheet blank had to be designed there, or a double-walled construction had to be used instead.

[0014] Multi-part sheet blanks are assembled from additional metal sheets, cut to size, and laser welded, even before a wrapping into the final form. The high quality weld seam withstands the bending process or wrapping process of the sheet blank into the final form. The functioning of the manufactured exhaust gas housing part is also improved. For mufflers, an additional muffler volume is provided. The tool cost of laser welding is comparatively small. Shorter cycle times can also be attained in production.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The invention is described in more detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawing.

[0016] FIG. 1 in a first embodiment variant, is a schematic partial cross section of a laser-welded jacket housing of an exhaust muffler with double-walled longitudinal reinforcement,

[0017] FIG. 2 in a second embodiment variant, is a schematic axial partial cross section of a jacket housing with a laser-welded bottom and jacket-side multiple sheet blank, and

[0018] FIG. 3 is a diagram of a laser-welded pipe union of a jacket housing in a schematic axial partial section similar to FIG. 2.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] According to FIG. 1, a jacket housing 1 of an exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle in the form of an exhaust muffler includes a jacket 2 manufactured from a two-part or multi-part sheet blank, the wrapped longitudinal edges of the said jacket being overlapped and connected together by a laser weld seam 3. The jacket 2 is assembled in abutment, double-walled or multiple-walled, and/or overlapping, and is also laser welded at the connecting places there. Also an intermediate bottom 9 extending in the transverse direction is connected at the edge on the inside by a laser weld seam 12 to the jacket 2.

[0020] According to FIG. 2, a jacket consisting of a wrapped multiple sheet blank is connected peripherally to an axial end bottom 8 by a laser weld seam 10.

[0021] According to FIG. 3, a conically vaulted connecting funnel 7 is connected to an end bottom 8 of the jacket housing by a laser weld seam 11. The widened circular peripheral edge (situated below, not shown in the drawing) of the connecting funnel 7 is axially aligned with a cylindrical jacket part and connected in abutment, likewise by a laser weld seam. The jacket part is manufactured from an integral sheet blank, laser welded in the longitudinal direction, in wrapped construction mode.

Claims

1. Jacket housing (1) of an exhaust gas device of a motor vehicle comprising a jacket manufactured from a sheet blank,

wherein

at least a longitudinal connection of the jacket (2) is manufactured from the sheet blank and comprises a laser weld seam (3).

2. Jacket housing according to claim 1, wherein the exhaust gas device comprises an exhaust muffler or an exhaust gas catalyst of an automobile.

3. Jacket housing according to claim 1, wherein the jacket (2) comprises at least two cut blanks (5, 6) which are assembled in at least one of abutment, double-walled or multiple-walled, and/or overlapping, and are laser welded at connecting edges.

4. Jacket housing according to claim 1, wherein at least one of pipe unions, connecting funnels (7), end bottoms (8) and inner intermediate bottoms (9) of the jacket housing (1) with the jacket (2) are connected together by laser weld seams (10, 11, 12).

5. Jacket housing according to claim 1, wherein all connection places of the jacket housing (1) are laser welded.